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Top 9 Surprising Facts about the Sensoji Temple, Japan

Sensoji is an ancient Buddhist temple found in Asakusa, Tokyo, Japan. This is Tokyo’s oldest temple and one of its most important.

The temple was formerly associated with the Tendai sect of Buddhism before becoming independent after World War II.

Constructed in 645 AD, the temple has the finest Japanese architecture and attracts more than 30 million tourists annually.

Sensoji Temple is dedicated to Avalokite艣vara, which is a Buddhist Kannon. His statue was found in a nearby river by two fishermen.

As the legend goes, one of the fishermen built a temple in his home. Villagers visited his home and worshipped the Buddha for more than 1,000 years.

A bigger temple was built and completed in 645 AD. This new temple replaced the older one. Unfortunately, the temple was destroyed during World War II. It was rebuilt after the war was over.

Here are more surprising facts about the Sensoji Temple in Japan.

1. Sensoji Temple pays homage to goddess Kannon

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Kannon is the Bodhisattva goddess of mercy. The goddess is believed to have blessed the statue and protected it.

A local legend explains that in 628 AD, two brothers got the statue when they were out fishing at Sumida River. Although they threw it back in the river, it kept surfacing.

Any misfortune that befell the statue or when someone attempted to take it away, the statue amazingly managed to find its way back to the Sumida River.

They eventually took it and built the Sensoji Temple for the goddess. They completed the temple in 645 AD.  

Therefore, the Sensoji temple was built nearby in honour of goddess Kannon as well as celebrating these miraculous events. This is the stately five-story pagoda and the main hall, devoted to Kannon.

Today, Sensoji temple is Tokyo’s oldest temple and welcomes millions of visitors every year. Visiting the temple for the first time is an exciting experience for any traveller.

2. The surrounding buildings around Sensoji Temple are beautiful

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Other than the main temple building, Sens艒ji鈥檚 beauty is found in the surrounding buildings.

The temple complex has several gates and side-buildings that are more fascinating and have a long history.

Its oldest gate is Nitenmon that was built in 1618. This gate is located on the right side of the main temple building. It offers a great viewpoint of the main temple building and pagoda.

Another gate is kaminari-mon meaning the thunder gate. It has a massive red paper lantern hanging from the middle beam. It also has special characters that are special and unique to this temple in the entire country of Japan.

The special characters are now used as the symbol of Asakusa and the city of Tokyo.  

3. One of the oldest buildings in Tokyo is found close to Sensoji Temple

If you love ancient architecture, then The Sensoji Temple in Tokyo is the place to visit.

The oldest temple was built in 645 AD. It suffered several damages over the year and it was renovated in 1958.

There is also a small wooden structure found in the northwestern part of the temple. It was built in 1618. This temple has a hexagonal shape and it is one of the oldest wooden structures in Tokyo.

Historians believed that the building was built during the Muromachi and Edo periods.

This building was originally built on top of a well but was moved to its current location in 1994.

4. One of Tokyo鈥檚 famous festivals is held on the Sensoji Temple grounds

Photo by Daniel L. Lu – Wikimedia

Sens艒ji Temple hosts one of Tokyo’s largest and most popular festivals, Sanja Matsuri.

This festival takes place over 3 to 4 days in late spring, leading to the closure of the surrounding streets from dawn until late evening.

Held every May, the festival is dedicated to the two fishermen brothers who recovered the statue. They also celebrate the wealthy landlord who founded the Sensoji Temple.

Walking up to this temple, you will first enter through the gigantic Kaminarimon or Thunder Gate.

The grand Buddhist structure has a massive paper lantern painted in vivid red-and-black tones to suggest thunderclouds and lightning.

After you have passed the gate, you will find Nakamise-Dori with its shops and the Treasure House Gate which lets you to the inner complex.

5. Coin tossing is a popular tradition at the Sensoji Temple

When you visit this temple, you will find a large box that people throw money into. There is no standard amount required, any amount of money is accepted.

Although the 5 yen coin symbolizes good luck in Japan, so maybe you should get that when you visit.

After tossing the money into the box, you are required to bow your head twice, clap twice and make a short prayer. This is what most visitors and locals do.

The prayer in this case is not anything magical, rather the practice of tossing the coin infers to one tossing their impurities. These are things that put your daily life in danger.

Once tossed, the money absorbs your miseries and sets you free.

6. Niomon gate dates back to 942

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Once you have bypassed the shopping strip, you will find another gate known as the Hozomon Gate or Niomon gate which was originally built in 942.

This gate was damaged several times and was rebuilt every time it got destroyed. Today it stands as a significant historical monument.

It leads to the temple’s main hall with the famous five-story pagoda, Kannon鈥檚 temple.

The Sensoji temple has some of the largest paper lanterns in the world displayed near the gates of the temple.

Before getting to the Main Hall, followers of Buddhist and Shinto religions buy a bundle of incense, light it and put it off by waving it. After this, they place the burnt incense in the main burner in front of the Main Hall.

They then use cupped palms to direct the incense smoke over their bodies. The smoke is believed to have healing powers as well as cleansing.

7. Shops around the Sensoji Temple offer a taste of Japanese culture

Photo by David G贸mez – Wikimedia

The shopping area near Sensoji Temple has existed for centuries. These shops and vendors have played an important role in helping to preserve the temple鈥檚 culture.

You will find popular Japanese snacks and antiquities sold in these shops. Most visitors stop by to get snacks to enjoy while taking a tour of the temple.

There are restaurants too where one can enjoy some delicious traditional Japanese flavours.

8. The land around Sensoji Temple was once a grassland

When Sensoji was first founded, the Asakusa area was not as busy as it is today. The area was a wild grassland and was inhabited by very few people.

After the Sensoji Temple was established, the town grew and became a lively pilgrimage and trading centre with the temple being the true heart of the town.

Unfortunately, Sensoji was destroyed by fires and other natural disasters. The locals and other believers rebuilt it several times during its 1,400-year-old history.

The only section of the temple that survived the disasters and renovations is the Main Hall. It survived the Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923.

The worst damage was experienced in 1945 when the entire temple was completely destroyed in the firebombing of Tokyo.

9. Rebuilding of the Sensoji Temple was a form of rebirth

Sensoji Temple was rebuilt after the war was over. This was an important project that symbolized the rebirth of Tokyo.

Well-wishers from all over the country donated funds that aided in the reconstruction of the Temple鈥檚 Main Hall.

The work began in 1951 and was completed in 1958. Other buildings were reconstructed after. The Five-storied Pagoda was completed in 1973.

Sensoji Temple receives approximately 30 million visitors every year.